LCUSD Seminar: Helping Girls Navigate their Social & Emotional Worlds

La Canada Unified School District’s Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program is sponsoring an informative evening for parents to look closely at the core skills girls need for healthy friendships and healthy selves.

Melissa Johnson, Ph.D, founder & CEO of the Institute for Girls’ Development in Pasadena, will provide information, practical strategies, tips, and resources of value to parents.

“Cliques, Conflict and Connection:  Empowering your Daughter to Navigate her Social and Emotional Worlds” will help parents address the emotional ups and downs of friendships and how to promote greater resilience in their daughters, according to a press release from LCUSD's Lindi Dreibelbis, director of assessment, research or consolidated programs.

Parents will learn what skills can help create a culture of compassion, empathy, and integrity for all children and teens.

Johnson is an expert on child and teen development with a masters in education and doctorate in counseling psychology.  She has worked with children and teens for more than 30 years. At the Institute, Johnson and her team deliver strength-based therapy, inspiring educational programs, and consultation with schools and districts to help create positive school climates, the press release states. Johnson’s approach to raising and mentoring youth draws together contemporary research in neuroscience, mind/body health, and evidence based interventions in mindfulness and social & emotional intelligence.

Johnson is a regional and national speaker. Her peer reviewed publications have appeared in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology and Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Her numerous articles about raising strong girls have appeared in community blogs and newsletters. 

All parents of students in grades kindergarten though eighth grade are encouraged to attend on Thursday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the LCUSD Governing Board Room at 4490 Cornishon Ave., La Canada.  The event is free and no reservations are required.  

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